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Sales of the piano -- once a status symbol and gathering spot for middle-class American families -- have plummeted, driven by a weakened economy and the rising popularity of electric guitars and electric pianos.

Inland piano store owners said deflating home values and evaporating home equity have resulted in more calls from people selling pianos than people buying them.

Music experts said guitars are sexier than traditional acoustic pianos and electric pianos are portable and less expensive. They also said status symbols change with time.

"The piano is a thing of the past," said Greg Shultz, owner of Oak Valley Piano in Yucaipa. "I think it's pretty much done in our society. There's no appreciation for it."

In the past decade, acoustic piano sales, which include uprights and grands, dropped by almost half in the United States, according to NAMM, an international music-products group in Carlsbad. In 2007, 54,000 acoustic pianos were sold, the lowest number since 1940.

Inland piano store operators report drops of 50 percent or greater in the past two years. Shop owners in Riverside and San Bernardino say business is the worst they've seen in 30 years. A Colton piano store is closing. Shultz's rent has been reduced, but he's still struggling to stay open.

Store owners are using a variety of tactics to stay open. Shultz started selling other musical instruments and more sheet music. Piano Music Center in Riverside cut its staff from nine to five employees. Cannon Pianos in San Bernardino is relying more on fees from servicing pianos.

Status Symbol No More

The decline in piano sales doesn't surprise William Roy, sociology of music professor at UCLA. In fact, he's surprised the decline didn't start earlier.

He said the piano used to be a status symbol, a sign of middle-class respectability. Today, televisions, not pianos, are the focal point of many living rooms.

Walter A. Clark, a music historian at UC Riverside, called the piano "a bit of a dinosaur." It has been replaced by the electric guitar as today's most popular instrument, just as earlier the harpsichord replaced the lute and the piano then replaced the harpsichord, he said.

He cited several reasons for the piano's drop in popularity:

Electronic pianos -- which are cheaper, portable and can hook into a computer -- were introduced.

Many accomplished pianists are working jobs that don't use their talents, which leads Clark to conclude it's often "a dead-end career."

The electric guitar has taken over, with sales nearly tripling in the past decade.

Clark said 19th century European composers such as Wagner and Verdi had political clout. Now, rock musicians raise money for famine relief.

When I was growing up (watch the wise cracks, I can pull your membership) it seemed like everyone had a piano, but... they were hardly status symbols. Most of them were old uprights or spinets.

But yes, someone in just about every house played, and people did gather around them.

Sort of like this...

Oh wait, that was piano party in Maine last month.

Or maybe this...

Oh wait, that was a Mason & Hamlin Piano Factory Tour, followed by a party at Larry Buck's shop in Lowell last May

How about this...

Oh wait, that was the SO CAL Piano Party and Grand Obsession Book Reading/Signing (the one the LA Times covered)...

Well maybe this one...

No wait, that's last years Cape Cod Piano Party

Ah, here we go, a So Cal piano party from 2003...

I guess what I'm trying to say is, our 35,000+ registered members (who have created over 1 million posts), and 300,000+ unique (piano loving) visitors a month, who by the way view 5-6 MILLION page views a month, just might not be quite ready to bury the piano.

Those who think the piano isn't still popular just don't know where to look for piano lovers (we do).

Nor any wise cracks from me. I'm no spring chicken (I don't play) and my 14 year old daughter has taken the piano up.I do however LOVE hearing one live. I think the naysayers are a little premature. MY parents who are 84 years old still have one in their living room.

I don't think it's going away any time soon...

_________________________
Just because you are paranoid does not mean someone is still not out to get you.1986 Kawai UST-7

Interestingly, a recent grand piano buyer was also a guitarist. He is a well respected physician in the Philadelphia area and, at 40 years old, had always wanted to get a very nice grand piano andhis time had come. He felt it was a more "mature" instrument and he could get more expression from a piano than from a guitar.

I also play a little guitar and whole heartedly agree.

Rod hit it squarely on the head when he said that the desire, if not the finances, are still there.

Frank,

Great pics! Thank you for spreading the word and gathering us all together here.

Wait a minute..... couldn't we be politically referred to as a "special interest group" here at PW?

Maybe we just need a lobbyist or two to push through a grant that would place one piano with every family in the USA. It might just cost less than war.

Inland piano store owners said deflating home values and evaporating home equity have resulted in more calls from people selling pianos than people buying them. [/b]

Sales are down everywhere in every field. But, those used home pianos that are being sold are also being re-purchased by someone else somewhere. So, they are just relocated. I personally feel that pianos will always be around. Tastes change, times change, clothes change but, sooner or later, most of these changes come back into style once again.

The trouble is a site like this is preaching to the converted. However, the piano shops going bust left, right and centre don;yt get many sales from the converted, because pianos last so long there is minimal repeat business.

The piano is possibly in terminal decline in popular music. It will inevitably persist in classical music but that is bound to be a minority market.

I do not know any parent in the last few years who regards buying a piano for the family as remotely aspirational. The aficionados (residing here) may value high quality instruments, but I would expect that the sellers of them will not see the piano glory days again in their lifetimes.

Originally posted by AJB: The trouble is a site like this is preaching to the converted. However, the piano shops going bust left, right and centre don;yt get many sales from the converted, because pianos last so long there is minimal repeat business.

The piano is possibly in terminal decline in popular music. It will inevitably persist in classical music but that is bound to be a minority market.

I do not know any parent in the last few years who regards buying a piano for the family as remotely aspirational. The aficionados (residing here) may value high quality instruments, but I would expect that the sellers of them will not see the piano glory days again in their lifetimes. [/b]

"As Ye Sow, So Shall Ye Reap"

Those who believe the piano business is dying (or dead) will realize a self fulfilling prophecy.

Those who still believe in the business, and behave accordingly, will continue to succeed.

Sure there will be challenges, always have been.But businesses that remain proactive will survive and prosper.

I've found at every piano forums party I've attended there are always people who don't play but wish they could.And many times there are children who are either just learning or expressing an interest.

In other words, there are still plenty of potential piano players/owners out there.

Piano World receives over 10,000 unique visitors a day (333,000+ in Sept). I can guarantee you they are not all "converted". In fact, I'd venture to say the majority of them are looking for information because they've recently become interested in the piano, are thinking of getting a piano, or want to fix one up.

This out of over 1,000 pages that make up the rest of the site (other than the forums).

I also believe it is up to us (those who already know we like the piano) to share our joy with others, and try to get people interested in playing.

I belong to an organization called AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association).They are constantly prodding members to introduce their friends/family/neighbors/co-workers to the joys of flying.Current membership is 415,000 and growing.

lovely to see so many people gathering for piano parties - such a lovely idea

I am sure that the piano industry will survive this current downturn, much as it did with previous ones. The piano (for me at least though I am sure many others) occupies an interesting position as a luxury item that I simply would not be without - take the house, the car etc - just leave me a piano and I will be smiling

I have only been in Minnesota for about 2-1/2 years and moved into a newer development. There are many families around with young children. In the last two years, two different families came a' calling when I had the windows open and they could hear me playing. Both had children who were taking lessons, practicing on digitals, and were considering an acoustic piano for the kids.

Would I help them pick out an instrument? Certainly!

The shopping was fun, I had a chance to develop new friendships, and the owners of two different piano stores are happy. All of this within only one block. Proud parents, enthusiastic young pianists, and real pianos have become one of the centers of our little neighborhood. Two other kids began lessons this year and have started on digitals. I am sure that will change soon. Those kids are envious of their friends who have "real" pianos.

So, in only a one block stretch of 3rd Street, we have added an RX-2 and a 5'-7" Story & Clark. Both are brand spankin' new pianos. The family who bought the S&K were thrilled to discover that they could actually have a decent grand within their budget.